"Hey, Anue?"

Rina looks up from her perch on the couch. Presently, she was helping Sasuke and Kakashi with laundry. Sasuke sewed up the ruined ninja wear while Rina folded clothes and Kakashi ironed in the next room.

"What made you think Kakashi was right for you?"

Rina blinked, wondering what brought this on. She pressed him gently to probe further into his state of mind. "Right for me in what sense?"

"How did you know Kakashi was the right man to have a relationship with?"

Rina raised an eyebrow; she could tell Sasuke was genuinely curious, so she gave him a little leeway. "Well, Kakashi was one of the few people who didn't treat me as fragile without my mask, and he saw me as more than a woman. He saw me as an equal. I only realized I had feelings for him after a woman tried to flirt with him brazenly."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "What's so attractive about a man who wears a mask?"

"The mystery of uncovering the man beneath the mask is plenty."

Interested, Sasuke meets eyes with Rina - the older woman quickly reads the eagerness to know what Kakashi look like in his expression. "Anyway, Sasuke, could this be about Hinata-chan?"

Surprisingly, Sasuke wasn't embarrassed by the question; instead, he explained that he had just been curious about his guardian's relationship.

"What's so interesting about it? He's a man, and I'm a woman. No mystery there."

"Yeah, but there's this sense of calm and security I feel when I see you two together...like it's as if you just fit..."

Sasuke started mumbling afterwards, but Rina could understand him. She got used to incoherent speeches after watching Naruto as much as she could over the years. Rina could interpret Sasuke's embarrassed rambling since she could handle Naruto's rapid-fire way of talking and verbal tic, "It just means Sasuke that you're starting to feel towards Kakashi and me differently-"

"Like family?"

Rina's eyes softened at the word, causing Sasuke to hit with another memory.

They were at a party together. Sasuke was standing on her feet as they danced. Itachi was watching them intently.

Rima-nee smiled and laughed with Sasuke, trying to keep him comfortable. Sasuke hated clan gatherings like this - he felt nervous, but Rima-nee made it a point to keep himself occupied from his anxious thoughts.

"Rima-nee, would you marry my big brother?"

The older girl blinked, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Itachi-nii likes you a lot. He can't stop looking at you in your pink dress."

Rima-nee cooed at Sasuke's innocent compliment and ruffled his hair but did turn to look at Itachi. They met eyes, and Itachi waved. She smiles and picks up Sasuke to carry him in her arms, causing Itachi's face to warm.

Rina did look beautiful - dressed in a gorgeous blush pink lace two-piece dress that went nicely with her sun-kissed skin. Sasuke smiled at seeing his brother looking at Rima-nee so fondly. Itachi was for sure smitten. He turned back to face her when she spoke to him.

"Penny, for your thoughts?"

Sasuke grinned as the older girl kissed his cheek affectionately, "I want you to be my big sister forever!"

In the present, Rina Mashiro had to shake the boy to break him out of his flashback. Sasuke looks at her in a daze. "Penny, for your thoughts?"

Kakashi entered the living room just in time to see Sasuke's face as pink as his girlfriend's eyeshadow, staring bashfully. "T-thank you..."

Rina frowned and softly asked, "What are you thanking me for?"

"For being here. Tolerating me and knocking sense into me the way you did. You are my big sister."

Rina tilted her head. She heard from Kakashi that Sasuke suspected her codename, Kohana, but she didn't expect him to admit it to her or still talk to her after the way she bashed him to unconsciousness.

"I'm always going to be here for you, Sasuke."

Sasuke says nothing and rests his head on Rina's breast, but it only lasts for a moment because Kakashi takes the boy by the hair and lifts his head. Sasuke scowled, but Kakashi just glared at him with his visible eye. "Horny brat..."

Rina rolls her eyes, "If Naruto rested his head on me, you wouldn't be yanking on his hair."

Kakashi snorted, grumbling that Naruto wasn't as shameless, making Sasuke grunt. Naruto was a pervert. He had that Orioke Jutsu for crying out loud!

Elsewhere, Naruto pulls a handkerchief from his jacket and sneezes into it, turning away from Ino. "Hehe, somebody must be talking about me."

Iniochi pats the boy on the back comfortingly, Naruto laughing as Ino holds out a pack of tissues. Iniochi moves away from the scene, telling Naruto he will get him a cup of tea. He looks at the two teenagers and dips the teabag behind the counter. He was no fool; he could see clearly as day that Ino had a new crush.

Ino smiled more. A warm blush coated her cheeks when he entered the flower shop, and she talked with him more than any other customer. It was evident that Ino's feelings for Naruto Uzumaki ran more profound than what she thought she felt for the Uchiha, which, in Iniochi's mind - made him relieved. The Uchiha was a brat, and Naruto was a good kid despite his circumstances.

"You should tell him how you feel."

Ino looks up, her cheeks rosy and warm with embarrassment. She just wanted to get the teacup to bring to Naruto. She tries to lie, but her father smiles kindly. "Don't waver."

The doorbell at the Hatake Residence rang much later, so Sasuke went over to answer the door. He blinks in surprise when he opens it, realizing it is his teammate, Naruto. The Uchiha wrinkled his nose at the neon orange jacket he wore.

This eyesore.

"Why are you here, dobe?"

"Nee-san isn't here."

It sounded more like a statement than a question, but Sasuke replied anyway, explaining that Rina left just a while ago. Naruto sighs, and Sasuke frowns, seeing an odd reddish tint on the boy's face. "Did something happen?"

The boys turned their heads to see Kakashi coming over, curious why Naruto would show up.

"Kaka-sensei..."

"You ok, Naruto?"

Naruto blushed, mumbled his apologies for disturbing and ran away. Sasuke yelled after him, confused by his reaction, but Kakashi smiled knowingly. The boyish, shy look on the blonde's face was no stranger to him. Naruto had a romantic experience with a girl.

But with whom?